Pneumatic cylinder hammer and control therefor



p 8, 1953 w. V.4;,CORN ETT $651,292

PNEUMATIC CYLINDER HAMMER AND CONTROL THEREFOR Filed Jan. 25; 1952 5 Sheets-Slieet 1 4 WALTER v cowl 5% ATTORNEYS p 8, 53 wjvfcc'bRNETT '292i PNEUMATIC CYLINDER- "QAMMER ,AND'coNTRoL THEREFOR Filed Jan. 25, 1952 5' Sheets-Sheet 2- lrjij INVENTOR. WALTER v. CORNETT ATTORNEYS Sept. 8, 1953 w. v. GGS'RNETT 5 PNEUMATIC CYLINDER HAMMER AND CONTROL THEREFOR Filed Jan. 25, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. WALTER v. CORNETT ATTORNEYS Sept. 8, 1-953 w. v. CORNETT PNEUMATIC CYLINDER HAMMER AND CONTROL THEREFOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 25, 1952 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 8, 1953 PNEUMATIC CYLINDER HAMMER AND CONTROL THEREFOR Walter V. Cornett, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 25, 1952, Serial No. 268,318

16 Claims.

The present invention pertains to improvements in pneumatic cylinder hammers and controls therefor, particularly adapted for use on pavement breakers, fill tampers and the like, such as that disclosed in my co-pending application Serial Number 104,569, filed July 13, 1949.

An object of the invention is to provide a control valve combination adapted to effect auto matically repetitive strokes by the pneumatic cylinder.

A further object is to provide a device of the above type adapted to provide positive operation with extremely fine adjustment of the force of the hammer or tamperblow, in a range extending from a few pounds force to the maxi mum capacity of the pneumatic cylinder.

A further object is to provide a control device of the above type inwhich the force of the blow may be increasedor decreased to any desired extent while the machine is in continuous operation. I

Another object is to provide a device of the above nature including means to control and adjust the speed of repetitive operation.

Another object is to provide a device of the nature set forth by which the length of hammer stroke may be automatically self-adjusting in working of a surface of varying level.

Another object is.to provide a device of the above type including optional means for manual control of single or repetitive blows.

Other objects and advantages will become evident to those skilled in the art during the course of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a breaking and tamping machine equipped with the improved control apparatus; c

Figure 2 is a detail side view of the pneumatic cylinder illustrating the main air supply con-' nections and trip valve mechanism applied thereto;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the control assembly;

Figure 4 is a detail rear view of the trip valve sub-assembly;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main air supply control valve;

Figure 6 is a detail plan view of the pilot-valve sub-assembly;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of the pilot valve sub-assembly; and

Figure 8 is an operational diagrammatic illustration of the system.

Referring to Figure 1, the numeral I l desig.- nates a chassis frame under which are mounted bber tire r m and rea he ls I! and 12. A

drivers seat I3 is located on the rear of the frame Iii, behind a steering wheel l4 for use when the device is self-propelled. For towing to a project, a draw-bar or tongue I5 is provided on the front of the machine.

An upright frame I6, secured on the top of the chassis frame i0, includes vertical rails or ways I! in which is mounted a cross-head l8 carrying a double-acting air cylinder IS. The pistonrod 20 of the cylinder protrudes from the bottom thereof, and has secured to its lower end a head 2| adapted to hold various types of impact tools, herein illustrated by a tamper 22. The crosshead It and attached cylinder l9, illustrated in upper position, are adjustable also to various lower positions in the ways I! in order to accommodate the device to working in trenches or holes of various depths, by means such as those set forth in the above-mentioned application Serial No. 104,569.

The numeral 23 generally designates the control mechanism forming a principal subject of the present invention and shown in detail in the subsequent drawings, this combination being secured to the left side of the upright frame It in convenient reach of the operator occupying theseat l3. Flexible air hoses 24 and 25 connect the control unit 23 with the upper and lower ends of the cylinder 19, also as hereinafter more fully set forth.

The principal sub-assemblies of the control unit 23, shown in plan view in Figure 3, comprise a main air supply control valve sub-assembly 26, hereinafter referred to as the'main valve sub-assembly, a pilot valve sub-assembly 21, and a trip valve 28. Mounted on top of the main valve 26 is a fitting 29 adapted to be connected to a source of compressed air. A street elbow 30 provides a connection into the fitting 29 from an air-line lubricator 3|, Fig. 1. Branch T's 32 and 33, Fig. 3, provide a high pressure air connection via a tube 34 to the pilot valve 21, and a similar connection via a flexible tube 35 to the trip valve 28. A pipe 36, provided with a manually operable stop-cock 31, comprises an air supply connection to a pneumatic propulsion motor, the latter not shown as it is not per se a part of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 5, the main valve 26 includes a body 38 comprising opposed left and right hand cylinders 39 and 40 and a central chamber 4|. The bottom of the chamber 4| is formed by a plate 42 having an upper valve surface 43 pierced by three ports 44, 45 and 46. A lower casing member 41 provides means to connect the middle port.45 to an exhaust line 48,

3 while the left and right-hand ports 44 and 46 are similarly connected via fittings 49 and 59 and the flexible hoses 25 and 25 respectively with the upper and lower ends of the air cylinder 19, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 8.

An inverted U-valve member backed by an adjustable upper bearing plate 52, is slidably mounted on the valve surface 43. The member 5| is so proportioned as to connect the port 44 to the exhaust port 95 and the port 46 to the air chamber 4! when in left-hand position as shown, and similarly to connect the port 49 to the exhaust port 45 and the port 44 to the chamber 4| when in right-hand position.

A pair of oppositely directed rods 52 and 53, attached to the U-valve member 5| and slidable in sealing sleeves 54 and 55, abut pistons 56 and 57 in the left and right cylinders 39 and 99 respectively. An adjustable stop screw 58 in the head 59 of the left cylinder 39 is adapted to engage the piston 56 to limit the leftward travel of the pistons and the valve 5|. A second stop screw 99, threaded in the head SI of the right cylinder 90 and adapted to be engaged by the piston 51, is provided with an exterior hand-wheel 62 by means of which the right-ward travel of the piston and valve combination may be adjusted while the device is in operation.

Referring to Figure '7, it will be seen that the pilot valve sub-assembly 21 includes a casing 63 surmounting a port-plate 94 so as to enclose a chamber 55 connected to the high-pressure air tube 34, and a cylinder 96, all mounted on a common supporting plate 51. The port-plate 64 contains three ports 98, 69 and iii controllable by the travel of a small sliding inverted U-valve member 'H in substantially the same manner as described above for the main valve, Figure 5.

A piston 12 in the cylinder 96 bears against a plunger 13 slidably mounted in the inner head 14 of the cylinder. The plunger 13 in turn bears against a sliding rod or stem 15 attached to the U-valve member 1! and provided with a seal 19 in the casing 63. A compression spring ii, retained in a cap 18, urges the valve member H, the rod 15, the plunger 13 and piston 12 to the right, as shown in Figures '7 and 8.

The port 68 is connected through a tube 19 with the outer end of the main valve cylinder 39, Figure 8. Similarly, a tube 89 connects the port 19 to the outer end of the cylinder 39, while the middle port 69 is connected toan exhaust tube 8|.

Three valves 82, 83 and 84, Figures 3, 6, 7 and 8, are connected into the upper end chamber 89 of the pilot cylinder 55. The valve 82 is a normally closed release valve, preferably of the type used on air whistles, and is manually operable by a lever 85. The valve 83, hereinafter referred to as the bleeder valve, is of the needle type manually adjustable by means of a handle 85. to open to the outer atmosphere.

The valve 84, hereinafter termed the inlet valve, is also of the needle type manually adjustable by means of a handle 81, and is connected through a flexible tube 98 with the trip valve 29. In the actual structure the valves 82, 83 and 84 are disposed as shown in-Figure 3, but for clarity in operational explanation are shown diagrammatically in the same plane in Figure 8.

The trip valve 28, Figures 2 and 4, 's secure to a small bracket 99 on a guide lug 9i forming part of the lower head and cross-head body 92 of the air cylinder l9. A spring-pressed tappet lever 93, pivoted to the lug 9!, has threaded therein an adjusting screw 94 adapted to engage the actuating plunger 95 of the valve 29, the latter being of the normally closed spring-pressed type. A downward extension 96 of the lever 93 carries a roller 91'.

Referring to Figure 2, the numeral 98 designates a vertical guide rod secured to the hammer head 2| and slidable through the lug 9i, thus serving to prevent the hammer, rod and piston assembly from turning during operation. The outer side of the rod 98 is cut away to form a tapering fiat surface 99 adapted to engage the roller 91. When the hammer 2| is in lower position, the upper end of the rod 98 occupies the position shown in Figure 8, in which position the taper surface 99 and the roller 91 are sufficiently retracted to allow the trip valve 28 to close. As the hammer and rod 98 move upward the taper surface 99 acts .as a cam to force the roller 98 outwardand thereby open thevalve 29. The threaded pusher screw 94 allows adjustment of the exact relationship between hammer travel and valve operation.

The general operation of the device is as follows, referring to diagrammatic Figure 8. As previously noted the main or striker valve chamber 4|, the pilot valve casing 63, and the inlet tube 35 of the trip valve 28 are all connected to the source of high pressure compressed air. The parts in Figure 8 are shown in the relationship existing as the hammer piston rod 29 and its attached parts including the hammer, tool and the guide rod 98, have reached the bottom of their working stroke. The retraction of taper surface 99 hasallowed thetrip valve 28 to close as shown, shutting off any .flowof compressed air therethrough to the tube 8,8, valve 84 and the pilot piston-chamber 89. 'Since'the chamber 99 is open to the atmosphere through the bleeder valve 39, the spring H has been enabled to move the pilot valve member H and piston 12 to the right by forcing the air outthrough the bleeder.

The movement of the valve member 5! into right-hand position admits .high pressure air through the port 68 and tube'lfi to the right-hand striking valve cylinder 40, at the same time opening theleft-hand cylinder 39 to exhaust via the 7 parts 59 and 19 andthetube 89. The main or striking valve working parts are thereby forced to the left as shown. By this movement the main valve member 5! opens the upper end of the cylinder [9 to exhaust via the hose 2| and ports 94 and 45, at the same time opening the port 49 to the chamber M to admit high pressure air through the hose 25 to the. lower end of the cylinder 9. The striker assembly including the guide rod 98 is thereby thrust upward, raising the tool such as the tamper 22 (Fig. 2) from the working surface.

As the guide rod 98 rises toward the top of its stroke the taper surface 99, opens the pilot valve 29, admitting high pressure'air through the tube 98 and inlet valve 84 to the pilot cylinder chamber 99. The inrushof air is greater than the set escape capacity of the bleeder valve. 83, so that pressure in the chamber 89 rises. As soon as this pressure on the piston l2 becomes sufficient to overcome the spring 11 the valve member H is moved to the left, reversing the previously described exhaust and high pressure air connections to the main valve cylinders 39 and 49. The main valve member 5! is thereby forced to the right, opening the lower end of the striker cylinder Hi to exhaust and admitting high pressure air to the upper end of the cylinder. The

power piston I9-a,'Fig. 8, acted upon by the' high pressure on its upper surface, drives the hammer assembly downward to perform the working or impact stroke. a

The downward motion of the rod 98 allows the roller 91 to move inward and the trip valve 28 to close, cutting off the compressed air supply to the pilot valve cylinder 66. Thereupon the escape of air through the bleeder valve 83 causes the pressure in the chamber 89 to fall, allowing the spring I! to throw the valve member H to the right as shown in Fig. 8, thus initiating the next upward stroke of the hammer mechanism in the manner previously described.

It will be evident from the above description that once the inlet valve 84 has been opened the device automatically controls the power cylinder to provide continuously repetitive working strokes. The inlet valve 84 may also properly be termed the automatic starting valve, since it is opened to initiate the continuous operation described. Similarly, to stop the automatic action the valve 84 is closed, this being the normal procedure when the working operation is completed or is to be discontinued for a considerable period of time. When it is desired to stop the automatic operation quickly for a short period of time, as for example when an obstruction must be traversed, the stop lever 85 may be depressed, opening the relief valve 82. The chamber 89 is thereby exhausted completely to atmosphere, so that no pressure can be built up or maintained therein. As a result, the spring 11 immediately moves the valve member II to the right and holds it there, thus causing the main valve member 5| to stop in left-hand position to stop and hold the hammer assembly at the top of the latters stroke. It will be evident that when the inlet valve 84 is closed to stop the automatic action for a longer period as previously noted, the pilot valve member H is also moved and held to the right in the manner described, so that the hammer similarly is stopped at the top of its stroke. Thus the combination of the spring I! with the bleeder 83 and/or the release valve 82 provides means to assure that when automatic operation is discontinued the hammer assembly will always stop at its upper position, allowing quick moving or maneuvering of the machine without drag or interference by the tool with the underlying working surface or trench.

In order to provide for manual control of working strokes when desired, the device is equipped with a knobbed hand lever Fig. '7, pivoted at I!!! to a bracket I02 on the base plate 61. A pull rod I03 links the lower end of the lever I00 to a second lever 104 provided with a fork I05 adapted to engage a flange I06 on the pilot valve plunger i3. Swinging the lever I00 counter-clockwise acts through the described linkage to move the pilot valve member H to the left, causing the hammer to perform a single power stroke, after which retracting the lever I00 allows the pilot valve to cause return of the hammer to upper position in. the manner previously described. A

lower extension I01 of the lever I00 is adapted to i 6 sixty working strokes per minute, the-trip valve 28, due to the long taper cam surface 99, is actually opened by graduated degrees. Accordingly, adjustment of build-up of the operating overbalancepressure in the pilot valve cylinder chamber 89, and hence the proper lead timing of the pilot and main control valves with respect to the hammer strokes, may be carried out with ease and accuracy. This adjustment to achieve and maintain proper timing and pressure relation in automatic hammer control for various desired working conditions may be made while the device is in operation, as the handles 86 and 81 of the bleeder and inlet valves 83 and 84 are in easy reach of the operator. For example, in tamping fill, if it is desired to produce a slight pause or compressive dwell of the tamper 22 on the work at the end of each working stroke, the bleeder valve 83 may be set to a comparatively, small opening. This causes rapid build up of pressure in the chamber 89, forcing the piston I2 and pilot valve member quickly to the left to produce the powerful down-stroke of the hammer and tamper in the manner previously described. However, as the down-stroke is completed to out 01f the air supply through the trip valve 28, the constriction of the bleeder valve 88 slows the fall of pressure in the pilot chamber 89, producing a dash-pot action against return of the valve-member II by the spring I7, so that the hammer piston l 9a and attached parts hold the tamper 22 momentarily under pressure against the working surface. The advantages of such pressure dwell in compacting certain types of fill material will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Similarly, in case it is desired to produce a quicker fall in pressure in the chamber 89, the bleeder 83 may be given a greater opening. Such a setting may be used for example to maintain uniform automatic operation on a working surface of varying height, rendering the lengths of hammer stroke self-adjusting within practical limits. In such case, as a rise in working surface stops the hammer short of its full stroke, that is before the trip valve 28 is entirely closed, the comparatively large bleeder opening still releases air from the chamber 89 more rapidly than the reduced supply enters, allowing the spring 71 to move the valve member II to re turn-stroke position as previously described.

Between the two illustrative conditions described, a variety of intermediate adjustments of the bleeder valve 83, as well as the related inlet valve 84, may obviously be made to meet other variations in working purposes or to compensate for changes in such conditions as available air pressure, etc.

In addition to the flexibility provided, by the trip valve and pilot valve combination as set forth, further refinements in control are provided by the described structure of the main control valve assembly 26. By setting the left-hand stop screw 58, the leftward travel of the valve member 5| may be limited to any desired extent.

This limitation governs the extent of throttling at the port 46, thus governing the up-stroke air feed to the. working cylinder and consequently controlling the overall speed of automatic operation. Similarly, by adjustment of the righthand stop screw 60- the extent of opening of the power port '44 maybepv'aried, thus controlling the pressure of the air delivery to the upper'end of the cylinder I9 and accordingly the force of the working stroke. It will be noted that adjustment of the screw 60 is eifected by the handwheel 62 in easy reach of the operator, so that he is enabled to vary the force of the hammer stroke from maximum to very light pressure or any intermediate condition, all while the machine is in full operation.

Since the plate 61 supporting the pilot valve and main or striking valve sub-assemblies 21 and 26 is rigidly secured to one of the upright rails ll of the frame 16 as previously noted, the operating stations of the various manual adjust ment handles are fixed with respect to the operator's station, and hence operable with maximurn convenience. .The provision of the flexible hoses 24' and 25 to the cylinder l9 and the flexible tubes or small hoses and 88 to the trip valve 28 allow the cylinder l9 tobe set at any desired vertical position in the rails ll.

Since the oil feeder 3| feeds into the common compressed air supply to the various valves as well as the cylinder I9, automatic internal lubri cation is provided for all the described working parts.

While the invention has been described in preferred form it is not limited to the exact structures illustrated, as various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, in

combination, a pneumatic power cylinder having therein a double-acting reciprocable piston, a piston rod attached to said piston, a working head on said rod and adapted to hold an impact tool, said cylinder having upper and lower conduits. for admitting compressed air alternately above and below said piston whereby said piston, rod, head and tool may be reciprocated, a source of compressed air, a main valve movable between two positions to open said source alternately to said upper and lower conduits of said power cylinder, a first and a second pneumatic actuator alternately operable to move said main valve to said first and second positions respectively, a pilot valve member movable in one direction to direct compressed air from said source to said first actuator and movable in the opposite direction to direct said compressed air to said second actuator, a pneumatic pilot cylinder and piston adapted to move said pilot valve member in said first direction, a trip valve mounted adjacent said power cylinder and operatively connected between said source and said pilot cylinder to direct compressed air thereto, means on said working head to operate said trip valve, and

spring means to move said pilot valve member 4 in said opposite direction.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1 including an actuating lever engaging said trip valve, a roller on said lever, and wherein said trip valve operating means includes a guide rod secured to said head and reciprocable therewith, said rod having a longitudinally tapered cam face operatively engaging said roller to move said actuating lever.

3. The combination claimed in claim 1 includin a manually adjustable bleeder valve on said pilot cylinder adapted to release said compressed air gradually from said pilot cylinder while said spring means moves said pilot valve member in said opposite direction.

4. The combination claimed in claim 1 including manually operable means to move said pilot valve member in said first direction against the force of said spring means.

5. The combination claimed in claim 1 ineluding a pair of stops respectively adjustable to determine said first and second positions of said main valve whereby the extents of openin said source to said upper and lower conduits of said power cylinder may be regulated, and exterior means to adjust at least one of said stops manually while said device is in operation.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1 including a manually adjustable bleeder on said pilot cylinder adapted to release said compressed air gradually from said pilot cylinder while said spring means moves said pilot valve member in said opposite direction, and means manually operable independently of said bleeder adjustment to exhaust said air from said pilot cylinder.

'7. In a device of the character described, in combination, a pneumatic hammer, a main compressed air valve connected to said hammer and adapted to control the same to effect alternate impact and return strokes, a pilot valve connected to said main valve and operable between two alternative positions to control said main valve, permanent resilient means to urge said pilot valve into one of said positions, pneumatic means to urge said pilot valve into said other position against the urge of said resilient means, a. trip valve pneumatically connected to said pneumatic means and adapted to control the same, and means on said hammer to actuate said trip valve.

8. A device as claimed in claim '7 wherein said trip valve actuating means includes a tappet adapted to engage said trip valve to operate the same, and an elongated member secured to a moving part of said pneumatic hammer, said elongated member having a longitudinally tapered cam face operatively engaging said tappe 9. A device as claimed in claim 8 wherein said elongated member comprises a rod secured to the impact. head of said hammer and slidable through a guide on a stationary part of said hammer, said tappet and said trip valve being mounted on said stationary part.

10. A device as claimed in claim 8 including means to adjust the operative engagement of said tappet with said trip valve, whereby the operative relationshipbetween said tapered cam face and said trip valve may be varied.

11. A device as claimed in claim 9 wherein the longitudinal extent of said tapered face is substantially equal to the maximum stroke of said impact head.

12. A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said pneumatic urging means for said pilot valve includes means forming an expansible power chamber, and including a manually adjustable inlet valve connected on one side to said chamber and on the other side via a tube to said trip valve, and a manually adjustable bleeder valve adapted to connect said chamber to the outer atmosphere.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12 including a normally closed release valve connected to said expansible chamber, and manual means to open said release valve to exhaust said chamber, whereby said pneumatic urging means may be disabled.

l4. A device as claimed in claim '7 including manual means operable independently of said pneumatic urging means to move said pilot valve into said other positions against said urge of said resilient means.

1 5. A device as claimed in claim '7 wherein said main compressed-air valve includes a chest nately in said two positions to open each one of said supply ports to said chest while connecting said other supply port to said exhaust port, a pair of opposed cylinders secured to said chest and having outer heads, pistons in said cylinders, sliding rods operatively connecting said pistons to said valve member and stop members in said heads engageable by said pistons to limit the outward travel of said pistons in said cylinders, said stop members bein adjustable inwardly and outwardly whereby the extent of said openings of said supply orts to said chest may be varied.

16. A device as claimed in claim 15 including an exterior handle on one of said stops whereby the same may be manually adjusted while said device is in operation.

WALTER V. CORNET'I'.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 293,371 Stevens Feb. 12, 1884 932,992 Maxwell Aug. 31, 1909 1,062,904 Fournia May 27, 1913 2,113,161 Osborne Apr. 5, 1938 2,429,780 Terhune Oct. 28, 1947 2,609,795 Freedman et al. Sept. 9, 1952 

